Lesson Kit: The War of 1812: Interpreting Evidence
Grade 7: 1800-1850: Conflict and Challenges
Map of the Chrysler's Field, 1869
Benson J. Lossing, The Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812
Reference Code: 971 .034 LOS, page 654
Archives of Ontario
Introduction
In this two-part lesson, students will interpret primary and secondary sources to learn
more about a specific battle and then apply these skills to learning about another battle
of their choice.
A computer lab will be needed for the second part of the lesson or you can print off the
needed documents from the website ahead of time.
Topic
The War of 1812
Source
The Archives of Ontario’s online War of 1812 exhibit - Click here to view the exhibit.
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Use the Archives of Ontario’s online exhibit on the War of 1812:
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As a learning resource for yourself
As a site to direct your students for inquiry projects
As a place to find and use primary sources related to the curriculum
Themes that can be addressed
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Use of Primary Sources
Major battles
Alliances between First Nations and British forces
Important individuals
Curriculum Links
Strand B. Canada, 1800-1850: Conflict and Challenges
Overall Expectations
Historical Thinking Concepts
B1. Application: Changes
and Challenges
Continuity and Change;
B2. Inquiry: Perspectives
in British North Americans
Historical Perspective;
B3. Understanding
Historical Context: Events
and Their Consequence
Historical Significance;
Historical Perspective
Historical Significance
Cause and Consequence
Specific Expectations
B1.2
B2.1, B2.2, B2.3, B2.4,
B2.5, B2.6
B3.1, B3.2, B3.3, B3.4,
B3.5
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Assignment & Activity Ideas
This lesson is designed to take place over two classes. However, it can be abbreviated
and completed in one class or expanded and completed across multiple classes.
Getting Organized
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Review the resources at the end of this plan
Print out a set of primary sources for each student or for each group of students
Print out copies of the Interpreting Evidence and Reflection handouts and the
Examining Evidence handout for the following class
Book a computer lab or print out materials from the Archives of Ontario’s online
exhibit which you can click on, called The War of 1812 for the Class 2 period
Lesson Outline
Class 1
Introduce the War of 1812 and determine what questions the students would like to ask
about the various battles. As a class or individually, have the students use a W5H
strategy to formulate questions that could be used to focus on one of the battles.
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With a copy of the four primary sources provided, encourage students to use the
Interpreting Evidence handout to take notes related to their research question.
Emphasize the importance of referencing the material they are using.
After discussing the results of their research, ask students to fill out the
Reflecting on Interpreting Evidence handout to reflect on their learning
Class 2
In class 2, students will use the skills they developed in the previous class to research
another battle in the War of 1812
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Book a computer lab or print out materials from the Archives of Ontario’s online
exhibit which you can click on, called The War of 1812
You will notice that under “"Battlegrounds", from the clicked on online exhibit The
War of 1812, four geographic areas are identified: Detroit Frontier, Niagara
Frontier and York, Kingston and the St. Lawrence, and The War Beyond Upper
Canada. It is here where students will be able to find the battles they can use to
complete the next part of the assignment.
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You may want to encourage students to concentrate on the higher profile battles
such as the Battle of Queenston Heights (Death of General Brock), the Battle of
Lundy’s Lane, the Battle of Beaver Dams (Laura Secord), the burning of York,
the Battle of Bladensburg (burning of the White House) and the Battle of New
Orleans.
Using the handout Interpreting Evidence, Battle of [student is to fill in the blank to
represent the Battle name] to assist students in the task of researching one of the
battles using sources from the on-line exhibit and at least one or two other
sources. Click here to access The Canadian Encyclopedia site which is a good
source for secondary information.
Once their research is complete, have the students prepare a presentation that
could be submitted for assessment or presented to the class. The finished
product could be a written or oral eyewitness account of the battle by a soldier or
a reporter and should include an explanation of why the battle was significant.
Extension/Accommodation
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The lesson can be abbreviated to one class with a specific battle of your choice.
This battle could reflect your local area.
Students could work in small, preformed groups for each part of the activity to
mix visual learners with textual learners and strong readers with progressing
readers.
All student research could be mapped on a large class map to create their own
exhibit of War of 1812 battles.
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Handouts & Worksheets
Interpreting Evidence ...................................................................................................... 6
Primary Source 1: Map of the Chrysler’s Field, 1869 ...................................................... 6
Primary Source 2: Letter from Nathan Ford to his brother David Ford ............................ 7
Primary Source 3: Letter from Thomas G. Ridout to his father Thomas Ridout .............. 9
Source 4: “Chrysler’s Farm” .......................................................................................... 12
Reflecting on Interpreting Evidence............................................................................... 14
Examining the Evidence .................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
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Interpreting Evidence
Examine each of the research sources answer the questions on the workseet provided.
Primary Source 1: Map of the Chrysler’s Field, 1869
The Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812
Benson J. Lossing
Reference Code: 971 .034 LOS, page 654
Archives of Ontario
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Source 1:
Question
Your Answer
What is the record’s reference code?
Is this a primary source or secondary
source?
Who created it?
When was it created?
Why do you think it was created, and for
whom?
What point of view / side does the creator
represent?
What does this source tell us about this
battle at Chrysler’s Farm?
What does it not tell us? What questions
do you still have about the battle?
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Primary Source 2: Excerpt from a Letter from Nathan Ford to his brother David
Ford
“Gen[era]l Boyd with 2500 men was ordered to disperse the pursuing army which
Gen[era]l Wilkinson estimated at 900 men. Wilkinson with the raiders prepared to
decend (sic) the Long Sault. Gen[era]l Boyd found the British drawn up in or sides for
three hours & an half. When our troops gave way and retreated, our loss is stated by
the officers to be 500 killed, wounded & missing.”
-Nathan Ford
Extract from an original letter from Nathan Ford (Ogdensburg)
to his brother David Ford, November 13, 1813
Ford family fonds
Reference Code: F483, box MU 1054
Archives of Ontario
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Source 2:
Question
Your Answer
What is the record’s reference code?
Is this a primary source or secondary
source?
Who created it?
When was it created?
Why do you think it was created, and for
whom?
What point of view / side does the creator
represent?
What does this source tell us about this
battle at Chrysler’s Farm?
What does it not tell us? What questions
do you still have about the battle?
Primary Source 3: Letter from Thomas G. Ridout to his father Thomas Ridout
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November 20, 1813
Thomas Ridout family fonds
Reference Code: F 43, box MU 2390
Archives of Ontario
Excerpt from this letter:
“My dear father, … I suppose you have had a full account of Col. Harvey’s gallant affair
of the 11 at Chrysler. I was on the field of battle the next morning & it was covered with
American killed & wounded. We had buried some & about 80 lay dead, some scalped
some horses were intermingled among them. We had 11 killed on the field and 135
wounded some of them whom died. Poor Capt. Naime was killed at the close of the
battle almost the last shot fired. It was fought at Chrysler’s house on a burnt piece of
ground half a mile square. Our army were drawn up in a solitary line of 1,000 men from
the woods to the river. The enemy is send out of the woods in two large columns of
2,000 each besides 300 horses…” - Thomas G. Ridout
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Source 3:
Question
Your Answer
What is the record’s reference code?
Is this a primary source or secondary
source?
Who created it?
When was it created?
Why do you think it was created, and for
whom?
What point of view / side does the creator
represent?
What does this source tell us about this
battle at Chrysler’s Farm?
What does it not tell us? What questions
do you still have about the battle?
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Source 4: “Chrysler’s Farm” Entry from the Canadian Encyclopaedia
The Battle of Chrysler’s Farm was fought in a farmer's field on the banks of the St
Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont, on 11 November 1813. An American force under
the command of Major General James Wilkinson had sailed down the St Lawrence
River with plans to capture Montréal and thereby complete the conquest of Upper
Canada. A small corps of British regulars, Mohawk warriors and Canadian militia under
Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Wanton Morrison of the 89th Regiment harassed the
Americans as they moved downriver, forcing Wilkinson to land over 3000 men on the
Canadian shore to attack Morrison's smaller force of 1169 men.
While the Canadian militia and Mohawk warriors guarded the woods on either side of
John Chrysler's field, the British regulars were drawn up in 2 lines to await the American
assault. The Americans attacked the British lines without success and were forced to
retreat from the battlefield after suffering severe losses. Wilkinson continued down the
St Lawrence with the remnant of his demoralized army but before reaching Montréal he
learned of a similar defeat of American General Hampton’s army, at the Battle of
Châteauguay a few weeks earlier. The Americans were forced to call off the attack on
Montréal.
Ronald J. Dale
The Canadian Encyclopaedia
The Historica-Dominion Institute, 2009
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Source 4:
Question
Your Answer
What is the record’s reference code?
Is this a primary source or secondary
source?
Who created it?
When was it created?
Why do you think it was created, and for
whom?
What point of view / side does the creator
represent?
What does this source tell us about this
battle at Chrysler’s Farm?
What does it not tell us? What questions
do you still have about the battle?
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Reflecting on Interpreting Evidence
Reflect upon your learning using the questions provided.
1. Why is it important to use more than one source when researching a topic?
2. Why is it important to record the sources you use?
3. What can you learn from primary sources that you can’t learn from secondary
sources?
4. When the Archives of Ontario provided extracts from their original documents
they typed the text exactly as it was originally written (e.g. not correcting any
spelling and grammar errors). How does this help us understand the event and
time period?
5. We use the W5H [who / what / when / where / why / how] to help us focus our
research. Go back over your research findings to determine if all of these types
of questions were answered. Circle each type of question answered adequately.
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
6. What other sources might you search out to answer any unanswered questions
and/or learn even more about the battle?
7. Why was this battle significant (important) during the War of 1812? Is it still
important today? Why?
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Rubric: Presentation Evaluation
1 – limited
2 – some
3 – good
Category
Thinking
4 – thorough, superior
Level & Comments
1234
(circle one)
Demonstrates skills of inquiry and research
 uses and documents a variety of sources
 uses analysis, synthesis and evaluation
 presentation is organized and demonstrates
planning
 presentation shows unity and coherence
 presentation includes one or more
connections/comparisons/conclusions about
the significance of their battle
Communication
Demonstrates through effective presentation a clear
understanding of his/her topic
1234
(circle one)
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